Express Entry Immigration System

It is important to note that Express Entry is not an immigration program itself. However, it is an online system that is created to manage Canada’s immigration application intakes and provide a clear pathway to permanent residency. An eligible EE prospective candidate has a right to register an EE Profile (subject to meeting the program requirements). This EE profile is eligible for 12 months, which provides an opportunity for a candidate to obtain an Invitation to Apply for the Canadian Federal Government or Letter of Invitation from an interested Canadian province. Upon the receipt of the Invitation to Apply (ITA), a candidate is welcomed to submit an ePR for the processing.

The Express Entry covers the following programs: 

1. Federal Skilled Worker Program

2. Canadian Experience Class

3. Federal Skilled Trades Program

Application Process

Even though the system itself might look very straight-forward, the application process, inclusive of the EE profile registration and ePR submission should be treated very seriously in order to avoid PR refusal, misrepresentation argumentation and CRS score recalculation. There are a few steps we should take before we even consider this PR pathway for our clients:

1. Find out if an applicant is eligible and meets the requirement of any above-noted programs.

2. Get the required documents ready to make sure that the information, which will be used for the purposes of CRS score determination, can be proved. Otherwise, the applicant’s ePR application will be refused.

3. Register the applicant’s EE profile and make sure that the appropriate CRS score is granted. Once applicants submit their profile, the system will generate a Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) based on the details that they have input in their profile. Once profile is created and submitted; they are valid for 1 year.

4. Receive an Invitation to Apply. IRCC conducts draws on a monthly basis with the CRS cut-off score. Invitations are issued to those who meet the score. Once the Invitation to Apply is accepted, applicants have 60 days to submit their application for Permanent Residence with all required documents.

5. Gather evidence, documentation and the verification of the applicant’s eligibility to prove a proper allocation of the CRS score for the purposes of the actual ePR application.

Federal Skilled Worker Program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program, an EE stream in which applicants can submit their application for permanent residency through the Express Entry system. This program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who wish to immigrate to Canada permanently. 

The program has minimum requirements for skilled work experience, language ability and education. Applicants must first meet all the minimum requirements in order to be considered eligible. 

Selection Factors 
Applications under the Federal Skilled Worker Program are assessed based on: 

• Age

• Education

• Work experience

• Whether you have a valid job offer

• English and/or French language skills

• Adaptability

Minimum Requirements
Your skilled work experience must be:

• In the same type of job (have the same NOC) as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your primary occupation)

• Within the last 10 years

• Paid work (This means you must have been paid wages or earned commission. Volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count.)

• At least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week).

Language Ability:

• An approved language test results obtained within 2 years

• A minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all 4 abilities

Education:

• A completed credential

• An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report obtained for immigration purposes from a designated organization

Proof of Funds:

• The applicants should prove that they meet the financial requirement for themselves and their family in order to successfully settle in Canada

  The most important factor that should be noted within the Federal Skilled Worker Program is that the applicant MUST pass the mark of 67 out of 100 eligibility points in order to qualify for the EE profile registration. 

Federal Skilled Trades Program

The Federal Skilled Trades Program, an EE stream in which applicants can submit their application for permanent residency through the Express Entry system. This program is for skilled workers that possess qualified skilled work experience in the following NOC groups:

• Major Group 72, industrial, electrical and construction trades

• Major Group 73, maintenance and equipment operation trades

• Major Group 82, supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production

• Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators

• Minor Group 632, chefs and cooks

• Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers

Minimum Requirements 

Language:

Work Experience 

• Applicants must have at least 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade within the 5 years prior to applying;

• Meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification, except for needing a certificate of qualification

The requirement to obtain either:

• A valid job offer of full-time employment for a total of at least 1 year

           OR

• Certificate of qualification in a skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority

Education

• A completed credential

• An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report obtained for immigration purposes from a designated organization

Proof of Funds:

• The applicants should prove that they meet the financial requirement for themselves and their family in order to successfully settle in Canada

  The most important factor that should be noted within the Federal Skilled Worker Program is that the applicant MUST pass the mark of 67 out of 100 eligibility points in order to qualify for the EE profile registration. 

Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class is a stream in which applicants can submit their application for permanent residency through the Express Entry system. This program is for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and who want to immigrate to Canada permanently. 

Minimum Requirements:

Language:

Applicants must meet or surpass a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 (“initial intermediate”) or 7 (“adequate intermediate proficiency”), depending on the level of the job

Work Experience 

• Applicants must have at least 1 year of full-time work experience in the last 3 years prior to registering their EE Profile

• This work experience must be full-time or an equal amount part-time and gained by working in Canada legally

• Also, this work experience can be in 1 or more NOC 0, A or B jobs.

Education

• There is no education requirement for the EE profile registration under the Canadian Experience Class. Nevertheless, in order to improve your CRS score, it is imperative to obtain your ECA report, which was completed for immigration purposes from a designated organization